KKR squander season, gain Rinku Singh

There needs to be greater recognition that the batting around Rinku is neither helping him, nor KKR, realise the full potential.

Hope soared every time Rinku Singh went out to bat in the IPL this year. While it reflected poorly on a management that picked non-performers and played musical chairs with the batting order, Rinku shone brighter even in defeat. Another opportunity squandered, another season wasted, yet Kolkata Knight Riders seem to have gained more than they might have lost. Rinku can do that to a team analysis.

Rinku Singh plays a shot during the IPL 2023 cricket match between Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants, at Eden Gardens (PTI)

That strike rate of 149.52, though par, shockingly misrepresents his ability to single-handedly turn matches around. More suitable is that average of 59.25, which although highest among all batters this season, still won’t tell you how many times Rinku has batted till the end—six. MS Dhoni is the only other specialist batter to have stayed unbeaten more than Rinku—eight times—but this has been a weird season where the CSK captain just hasn’t preferred to bat for more than six-eight balls per innings.

But Rinku has been there and done that, grafting runs and holding one end up till he knew when exactly to switch on that beast mode that gave us five sixes in a row to beat Gujarat Titans.

Even spinner Ravi Bishnoi, who was exceptional for Lucknow Super Giants in the middle overs on Saturday, didn’t hesitate in pointing out how Rinku dominated their discussions. "I haven't seen anyone bat like Rinku for a long time. The way he has batted this season, it is unbelievable. We knew if we bowl a string of dot balls, then it will be tough for them to chase."

But when you have seen five sixes in a row happen, 18 off three balls seems attainable. The premise was also similar. Only the previous over Rinku had smoked Naveen-ul-Haq for a ginormous 110m six after belting him for three boundaries. “Actually, that (five sixes in a row) was running through my mind a bit. So, I was relaxed and confident of handling the situation. We needed 21 runs off the last over and I missed one ball, became a four," said Rinku at the post-match press conference after KKR’s one-run loss to LSG.

Such has been the calm Rinku has brought to edge-of-the-seat thrillers like this that you don’t need mid-pitch conferences as long as he is on strike. Anchor when you need him to be, finisher when the match is on wire, Rinku has been multitasking for a team woefully short of batting spine. That 305 of 474 runs he has scored this IPL has come in chases, that too at a strike rate of 174.28, is bound to keep the selectors interested when they go into a huddle for the T20 World Cup next year.

"It feels like all 14 matches I've spoken about Rinku,” said KKR captain Nitish Rana after the defeat. “I am very happy the way the season has gone for him. He is quite close to me and I know how much hard work he has done. I don't really have words to describe him because the entire country knows what he has done. If he can bat in situations like these, he can do anything.”

Tired, dejected but still smiling, Rinku wasn’t ready to think ahead when asked how he was looking at his future in the backdrop of such a successful season. “Anyone will feel good when the season goes so well. But I'm not thinking on the lines of selection for the Indian team. I will stick to my routine, continue my practice,” he said.

The one thing Rinku hasn’t shied away from is the fame that came with those five sixes. "After I hit those five sixes, I started to get a lot of respect from the people. Now, a lot of people recognise me. So it feels good," he said.

It’s this feel-good factor that KKR must build on, by assembling a functional batting line-up with Rinku as one of its core players. Even if there is no doubting Rinku’s quality, there needs to be greater recognition that the batting around him is neither helping him, nor KKR, realise their full potential.

For a franchise that has a dubious history, of letting go Chris Gayle, Suryakumar Yadav and Shubman Gill, Rinku Singh is another opportunity to get the narrative right.